Suspension of Disbelief Through Item Back Story Part 4

4. The item is riddled with notches of varying width and depth. (A successful INT check at a penalty of 8 will reveal the notches serve some purpose. Another successful INT check will reveal the notches are an intelligently designed code. 1 day spent researching in a library of significant size will reveal the message: 'Lank Wool has the object of our attention.')

For now I'm going to move on to some different subjects I want to tackle. When I get around to it, I'll add a few more entries to this table.

c. Aaron Aldridge 2013

Suspension of Disbelief Through Item Back Story Part 3

3. The item is lightly covered with a thick, sticky, brown goop. (33% chance the PCs will notice the goop if they are not actively checking for abnormalities. The substance is extremely viscous. If left to hang, it will only form droplets and release them once every 1d6 days. The goop smells of anise and some other exotic plant. A successful wisdom check will determine the scent is obscure and requires research. Any M/U above level 6 and adept in potioncraft will reveal the mysterious scent is released after the purification process of an ancient stimulant, Garnstalk. Garnstalk is cultivated above the cloud-line in the Northerly reaches of the DaggerSpine Mountains close to the fertile Korben District of Upper Hene.

The stooped and grizzled adherents of Silas, ugliest of the seven sons of Ukko and Demi-god of Shelter and Health, maintain a monastery in the area where Garnstalk grows. Even with the devotion of the Silan Monks, the plant remains very fickle during the growing season. It's just as likely to lie down and become mulch for its neighbor as it is to yield the single seed used to produce the stimulant.

After harvest, the seeds are shipped down the mountain by an interconnected set of hand-driven gondolas. In certain areas, the seeds drop in elevation as much 1000 ft./minute. At each landing point the seeds are removed from the first gondola, counted, and placed in the second for the next trip down towards the purification houses in the foothills.

Once the seed reaches its final destination, it is alchemically purified and enhanced until it reaches its usable, syrupy form. Then, it is shipped to the local municipalities that house and distribute it to dealers in foreign lands.

Colloquial names 1d6:
1. Daughter of Garn
2. Garn's Window
3. The Sin of Ukko
4. Wee Mind
5. Dal's Better Days
6. Noose

The stimulant is most potent if consumed, but some users also burn the stimulant and inhale the fumes. Each one gram dose lends the imbiber a +1 bonus to STR and DEX checks -1 penalty to INT and WIS checks, and a +2 bonus to initiative and reaction adjustments. At the DMs discretion, each dose has a 2% cumulative chance of causing physically dependency. Combined with a depressant such as wine or ale, the stimulant causes an intensely euphoric and hypnotic state referred to as Endrin's Sleep by the addicts who crave the mixture.


C. Aaron Aldridge 2013

Suspension of Disbelief Through Item Back Story Part 2

Map 2.1:

2. A greenish-blue dweomer surrounds the item. (PCs with an INT above 16 who remain within 5' of the item for more than 10 rounds will become obsessed with the item. Obsessed PCs will attempt to gain control of the item, but will not act out of accordance with their alignment. If an obsessed PC maintains control of the item for 4 days, that PC will begin to have choppy, achronological visions consisting of the following information. See Background 2.2. The visions will continue for as long as the PC maintains control of the item. 

Background 2.2:

Me-Shel Al-Shakir stands on the lee side of a giant, rippling dune. Behind him, tracks in the sand lead backward to the summit of the dune and beyond. Al-Shakir holds a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the raging sun. A dry wind moves up the dune knocking sand into Al-Shakir's grim, sun-hardened face. He pulls the loose end of his turban across his mouth and secures it under a fold of fabric. White robes billowing, Al-Shakir begins to descend the dune. 

Al-Shakir moves cautiously through the deserted streets of San Marcos. Until recently, San Marcos was the last Ukkan-held oasis on the desert trade route from San Fernando to Al-Saharwi, a lesser-populated city on the outskirts of the Medianic Kingdom. Out of habit, Al-Shakir glances upward occasionally to navigate by the stars. Tonight he only notices the heat crawling off the low, white buildings. Just beyond the shoulder of a massive, carved-stone likeness of Ukko, the moon dances a slow waltz in the rising heat. Al-Shakir touches a toe on the colossus and a hidden man-sized entrance is revealed. Al-Shakir looks over his shoulder one last time and enters the passageway.

The stink of carrion is enough to make Al-Shakir wretch as he reaches into the recently spilled guts of a desert dwelling basilisk-kin. The torchlight flickers. Al-Shakir leans in close to peer at the contents of the slain reptile's oozing paunch. Soon, he finds his prize among the other odd, undigested items hiding there. PCs will recognize this as the dweomered item they have found. At this point, though, the item does not cast a noticeable aura. Al-Shakir crouches and studies the item for a few moments. Torchlight glints on his finely-honed scimitar as he disappears into the darkness surrounding the area.

Blood runs freely from the outer corners of Al-Shakir's eyes. His mouth is frozen in a silent howl of pain. The front of Al-Shakir's robes are stained crimson. Small pools of blood collect on the agate-decorated floor. Four, giant, desiccated humanoids help Al-Shakir move to a kneeling position. Al-Shakir raises the item above his bowed head in a horrific act of supplication. Suddenly the humanoids' dried, paper-like skin is shredded and blown outwards as a deafening boom fills the area. The bones of the humanoids pile around Al-Shakir. Al-Shakir falls prone on the floor and the item clatters and rolls away from his hemorrhaging head. Al-Shakir looks at the item with bulging eyes. A thread of greenish-blue mist trails from Al-Shakir's mouth to the item.

The obsessed PC will soon begin to see detailed points on a map. See Map 2.1. The map is of a fortified town located well to the north of the Mid-World Sea. Ultimately, the PC will be become aware of a temple in the city at area C3 on the map. The temple houses the other three items of a set that includes the found item. After this point the visions cease and the PC will no longer be obsessed with the item.)

More table items to come!

C. Aaron Aldridge 2013

Suspension of Disbelief Through Item Back Story

The PCs locate a well-worn pair of leather boots lying near a small opening in the west wall of the cavern. Arlen, the party's 3rd level thief, finds the boots to be quite comfortable and, strangely, relaxing. He chucks his old pair in roughly the same spot. The party finishes searching the area and moves to the next room.

Even something as relatively mundane as the basic treasure horde can add to the verisimilitude of  an adventure or a campaign setting. How did the boots get there? Who was the previous owner? Was he wealthy or poor? Does he have any family? Was he a victim of the Will o' the Wisps the PCs recently encountered? Do the boots have any properties unknown to the party? If so, how were they imbued with these properties?

Below is a table listing a number of reasons an item came to rest where the party found it. Of course, the DM will be required to make these listings item-specific to their campaign. Items in parentheses are intended for the DM only.

How did that get there? 

1. The item is branded with the initials WJS. The elegant monogram is set off with six stars of various sizes.. (The PCs may be aware that the pattern of six stars is used as an identifying insignia by the Society of Known Adventurers, a loosely organized delving guild based out of Lux, a small mining town. SKA also serves as an erstwhile courier group and mercenary pool --  taking on jobs as necessary to fill the guild's coffers when delving yields grim returns. The guild's clientele are of a darker sort, typically lesser nobles and the like, looking to cover up some "indiscretion" from their past.  

Some members of SKA have become quite famous in the area. Others continue to languish in the lower echelons of the guild. If the party pursues the origin of the monogram, they will find that WJS are the initials of "Wicked" Joaquim Summers, a lesser-to-middling member of the guild. Joaquim has made a minor name for himself as one who "makes information irrelevant." As such, any mention of his name in Lux will more than likely be greeted with vitriolic, but harmless, scowls and jeers.

 A strong and heavy-handed investigation will reveal several details about Joaquim's most recent endeavor.  Joaquim has taken on a contract to create a series of damning rumors about a local noble who was attempting to blackmail a well-liked tavern-keep in Lux. The noble, Tick Candelabrum, recently stumbled into a private party held by Cortheart Wire at the The Bald Opposum, one of several taverns Cortheart owns in the area. Cortheart was hosting a particularly disreputable clan of gnomish miners, The Clan of The Four Winds Under Mountain. The festivities had grown ribald after hours of drunken feasting. Accordingly, Tick was able to slip out unnoticed. 

Very few of the human inhabitants of Lux care for the gnomish clans that inhabit the deepest reaches of the mines in Lux. If it was made known that Cortheart had allowed the Four Winds clan to occupy one of his taverns, Cortheart's business would surely suffer. Consequently, Cortheart decided to hire Joaquim to spread malicious lies about Tick and destroy Tick's reputation.

No one seems to know how Joaquim lost his item. Furthermore, no one seems to know Joaquim's current location. The town guard suggests he may have used the north road. Generally, only miners and others with business at the mine use the south road.)

Tick Candelabrum
3rd Level Human Court Thief

STR: 9, DEX: 9, INT: 13, WIS: 11, CHA: 13
THAC0: 19, HP: 8 AC: 5 (Leather+Shield), Rapier (1d6dmg)

Cortheart Wire
4th Level Human Fighter
STR: 15, DEX: 14, INT: 9, WIS: 8, CHA: 13
THAC0: 16, HP: 24, AC: 9 (Keep's Leather Apron), Great Club (1d8+1dmg), Speed: Slow (2 attacks/ 3 rounds)

"Wicked" Joaquim Summers
6th Level Human Thief
STR: 15, DEX: 15, INT: 13, WIS: 14, CHA: 14
THAC0: 18, HP: 16, AC: 5 (Leather+Shield), Short Sword (1d6dmg)



I've decided to cut this table up into several posts. When I complete the table, I'll modify this post to reflect the number of items in the table.

C. Aaron Aldridge 2013

Alternatives to Treasure: A Random Table of Adventure Seeds

     Giant spider carcasses litter the mossy floor of a small copse of evergreen trees. The PCs mill about poking and prodding their former adversaries. Soon, they hope, a few copper coins or a rusted blade will turn up. Instead, the DM may roll on this table of seeds for future adventures. Items in parentheses are intended for the DM only.

Table 1: Less Hordes, More Rewards! (d12)

1. Nothing happens. (The PCs have unknowingly completed a contract for the deaths of the fallen creatures. There's an 80% chance the PCs learn of the contract in the next heavily populated area. In the same locale, there's also a 40% chance a group of bounty hunters will be enraged to learn that the PCs have stolen the contract. The contract pays 3d% GP and a lesser magical item. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type.)

2. (One round of searching reveals a treasure map tattooed on the flesh of a fallen creature. Roll twice on Table 2 to determine item type and location.)

3. One of the fallen creatures has a hidden hitchhiker! An intelligent, long-eared hedgehog squirms from beneath a corpse. (Name: Vule Great-Ear, AL: NG, STR: 1, DEX: 16, CON: 1, INT: 12, WIS: 9, CHA: 15, HP 1/4, THAC0: 20 DMG by bite: 1/4. Vule will only associate with parties of a good alignment. Otherwise he flees immediately. If queried for three consecutive rounds, Vule will reveal he is traveling to the home of Quix Millwater, a renowned professor of illusions.)

4. The blood of the fallen causes the germination of a seed buried at the site.A sentient plant springs forth! (Grek's Omnivorous Rose. AL: NE, INT: 17, SIZE: 1d6+8' tall, HP: 2d10, THAC0: 19, DMG by thornwhip: 1d4. The plant grows rapidly and will mature in 1d4+1 rounds. Unless attacked, the plant will ultimately give precise directions to Grek's Wonderful Gardens and Fruit Stand.)

5. A severed limb attempts to communicate via crude sign language. (If the PCs cast a successful Speak With Dead spell AND pass an INT check -4, the limb will give vague instructions on how to locate a lesser magic item. Roll twice on Table 2 to determine item type and location.)

6. 2d4 rounds after the the encounter ends, a solitary giant worker ant marches into the area of the encounter and begins to harvest the dead for its colony. (Unless attacked, the ant ignores the PCs and eventually leaves with the dead in tow. Giant worker ant. AL: N,  INT: 0, AC:5, HP 18, ATT: 1d6+3, SIZE: 6'. If followed from a reasonable distance behind, the ant leads the PCs to its colony.)

7. (A Detect Magic spell indicates one of the dead has recently swallowed a lesser magic item. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type. )

8. The dead bodies immediately attract 2d6 common turkey buzzards.

9. The last of the opposing party falls and a crushing silence fills the area. (A hex has been triggered. . A globe of silence comes into effect as per the 2nd Level Priest spell Silence, 15' cast at 9th level.)

10. At some point during the battle one of the creatures dropped a calfskin backpack. Inside rests a black box measuring 1' x 6" x 6". The box contains small tubs of black, brown, white, and green paint; as well as a handful (d6) of differently-hued wigs. (A DEX check and two rounds of searching will reveal a false wall inside the box. The chamber behind the false wall contains a stubbed ticket to a live performance of 'The Baron's Follies' at the Mute Eunuch, a tavern in a nearby village.)

11. The chests of the dead burst forth with a swarm of gnat-like insects. (If the PCs follow, the swarm leads the party to a hidden magic item. Roll twice on Table 2 for item type and location)

12. The spirits of the dead rise and sprout the necessary appendages to create a magical item. (At the DM's discretion, the spirits work diligently for a period of time necessary to create a lesser magic item. Once their task is completed, the spirits fade slowly from sight. PCs must save versus death magic or panic and flee in terror for 1d4 rounds. The spirits are harmless and invincible. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type.)

Table 2: Lesser Magic Items (a) and Location Prompts (b) (d6) 

1a. Ring of Bear Strength and Undue Burden (Cursed). Strength +1. Encumbrance +100%. 

1b. A mossy log on the inside bank of a slow eastward turn on a softly babbling brook.

2a. Potion of Puppeteering. +2 to Charisma and +2 to all Charisma related checks for 1d6 rounds. Enough for three doses. 

2b. A loose baseboard in the SW corner of an abandoned fishery in the warehouse district.

3a. Locks of Lenathor. Usable only by Clerics of good alignment as protection/prayer items. One of a set of three locks of beard hair formerly of Lenathor the Paladin. After straying from the Lawful and Good path, Lenathor successfully regained the favor of Ukko. To do so, Lenathor sheared his beard, entered the clergy and began a series of harrowing trials . The Locks of Lenathor represent the paladin relinquishing agency and undergoing the aforementioned trials. (d6) 1-2. Lock of Superior Law, Goodwill, and Agency. All Evil creatures in a 10' radius receive -1 to ATT and DMG. 3-4. Lock of Undying Trust, Fealty, and Fidelity. +15% chance to gain henchman. 5-6. Lock of Greater Devotion, Penitence, and Prostration. Clerics actively using this prayer item during a request for spells receive an extra spell/day at 1st-3rd levels and two extra spells/day at 4th-6th levels. 

3b. The second of the three groves of ash that lie in a line NW of the Hills of Mong. 

4a. +1 Gloves of Insubordination. Leather. +1 to AC. +20% resistance to Charm spells.

4b. A caravan of itinerant merchants encamped East of the Gaul road South of Rorx.

5a. Strong's Deck of Minstrels. A deck of 2d12 brightly illustrated cards. When a card is tossed on the ground, an illusion of a bard appears. The bard will proceed to perform 'The Will and Works of Daemon Strong in the Last Days of Ardmoor' for 1d8 rounds. For the duration, the performance confers +1 to all morale checks for friendly characters and +1 to all saves vs. magic for all friendly characters within a 15' radius.

5b. A small room off the main corridor in the Hall of Glenmanning.

6a. Bowl of Blessings. A 6" silver bowl. When filled with water or some other fluid the bowl allows any non-Cleric PC to cast Bless as a 6th level Cleric. Requires: 1 round of preparation and 1 round to cast. The bowl must be undisturbed for the spell to remain in effect the full duration. All spell effects of the Bowl of Blessings are nullified if the bowl is disturbed.

6b. A dilapidated hut on the eastern shore of the Sea of Celts.

C. Aaron Aldridge 2013